All 32.1 - In a Past Life
The inn was eerily quiet, but dust had yet to settle, and the food left in the kitchen was perhaps a bit stale or off, but certainly not rotting: it wasn't long ago that the place had been abandoned, and its orderly state suggested that it had not been left in a rush. The ominous flaming pillar in the distance suggested why the inn was devoid of even its owners. Victor sat in the dining room alone, drinking tea slowly and relaxing after their harrowing morning. Everyone else had spread out as well, taking time to relax and recollect before they went to seal the third planar anomaly the next morning. Victor pushed at his bangs, trying to get them away from his eyes after his ascendancy power had altered his hairstyle: it had been a couple hours since he had channeled it, and it was only just now that the hair would mostly agree to be pinned behind his ear, signalling the transformation as wearing off. He took it as a good sign, but still vaguely wondered if he would be forced to get a haircut. The silence was disturbed by the soft sound of approaching footfalls. Moments later, a familiar face appeared in the doorway. "Oh hey, there you are," With a faint, bemused grin, Lucca crossed the room and dropped into a chair across from the older man, "That hair is so fucking ridiculous, I still can't even handle it. Like...why? How the hell does someone even come up with a style like that?" With a teasing smirk he added, "It looks even better now that it can't decide if it wants to co-operate or not." The older man gave him a sardonic smirk, "Your opinions have been noted." He pushed the bangs back again, "Hopefully it continues to become more agreeable to my desires, or I'll have to cut it off." Drinking from his tea, he added, "Though this is still preferable to the hair you're currently sporting. I will never complain about white again, that's for certain. But I suppose the problem with yours is less the colour and more the contrast with your skin." True to his word, the robin's egg blue that the channeling had bestowed upon Lucca's hair colour had not yet faded, and clashed horrendously with his coppery skin. "Cut it off? That'd be a bit drastic, don't you think?" Lucca asked with an incredulous frown, "I don't think you'd suit short hair very well at all." With a roll of his eyes, he added, "At least mine can be fixed as easily as..." With a flourish of his hands as he shifted his colouration slightly to create a more harmonious effect, looking smug. "Well, that's very nice for you," Victor retorted. "I wouldn't cut it all off, just the bangs. Though I suppose cutting it all off would look less odd growing back in. It doesn't really matter, we know these things wear off. Most of the time." He sipped his tea again before adding, "I'd look bad in short hair?" He frowned slightly, "I don't think I'd look bad..." "Nah, I never said bad; I don't think it'd look bad either. It just wouldn't suit you the way long hair does." With a shake of his head, he added, "If you were ''gonna cut it, you'd have to do all of it...just the bangs would be weird. But I don't think you'll have to either way. It already seems to be starting to sort itself out." "Indeed. The sooner the better," Victor closed his eyes and sipped his tea again, looking rather serene. Lucca sat back in his chair looking thoughtful, and a few minutes passed before he spoke up again. "So. I'm gonna say something, and it's probably gonna sound absurd. But I've gone over all the bits and pieces a couple times now, and it seems like a pretty solid guess to me." A faint, crooked smile flitted across his face as he spoke. He paused, before stating in all seriousness, "I think I know who you are. Or were, rather, before you became who you are now." Victor raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, waiting for Lucca to continue. After a moment, he offered. "Put simply, I believe you were Osamu Miro, the Yeto emperor that Ryuji mentioned when we were talking earlier." Victor raised his eyebrow slightly higher. After a beat of silence, he drank his tea once more, his face returning to a neutral expression as he said calmly, "Considering that's a rather excessive claim to base on a hairstyle, I'm going to assume you have more context than just that, and will let you explain further." "You're gonna let me, are you?" The druid made an amused face at him, adding with a slight chuckle, "How gracious." He paused, looking thoughtful, then began. "Ryu and the hair just jogged my memory. The important bit, the main thing that I'm basing this on, is a story I read a long time ago in the Archives: a firsthand account from a druid who was a part of some pretty bizarre events involving hell-magic, Yeto, and a pair of devils. There's a bunch of other bits and pieces that have me convinced too, but I'll start by telling the story, and then we can connect the dots. Its a bit long, weird, and convoluted though, plus its been a while since I read it. So I'm gonna try to keep it brief and not forget anything...but stop me and lemme know if I lose you somewhere." He took a few moments to gather his thoughts and when he spoke again it was with the familiar cadence and tone that he often took on when retelling tales of old. "These events were set down in the archive quite some time ago, in the year 4652, by a druid by the name of Broken Tusk. He was a wanderer, his work apparently consisting of venturing about with his mastodon companion, teaching people to live more harmoniously with nature and sharing stories, magic and farming tips whenever he encountered a settlement or group of travellers. It was during these travels that he fell in with a very strange group, on an even stranger quest. Catching wind of a particularly unusual plague spreading out of the south of Asanon, he went to investigate, to see if he could be of help. The plague ended up being just a footnote in this story, but it brought him into contact with the group I mentioned: a band of adventurers composed of a Wall-guard from the Northlands, an Asonian cleric of Liartia, and their apparent leader, a Yeto nobleman carrying a black sword by the name of Raito Kamun." As he said the name, Lucca's eyes flicked to meet Victor’s. Victor sat patiently listening, his expressing calm and emotionless. Lucca continued, "These three claimed to have 'fixed' the plague, rather than 'cured' it, by dispatching its source, for it was actually a magical curse. They went on to say that this curse had been but a side effect, a personal project if you will, of the caster responsible for a piece of the puzzle they were investigating: a series of circles, made of Hellish magic, unable to be damaged or altered, each made by a different caster and commissioned by a mysterious, pale-eyed Yetoman. The adventurers weren't sure what these circles were supposed to be doing, or why they had been made, but had seemingly concluded that whatever it was, between the scope and the connection to Hell, it couldn't be good. So, these three were searching out these circles, trying learn more of their origins and purpose, and go from there. Their cause seemingly caught Broken Tusk's interest, because he offered to join them in their...quest, an offer that they gladly accepted." Here the druid fell silent for a few beats, collecting his thoughts before continuing. "Their search took them far and wide, and they gained more companions, and more information. In Riolythe, they picked up a young elf: the caster charged with making one of the circles there. He was doing it against his will, so they freed him and took him along with them, and in doing so disrupted the circle's completion. The boy shed more a bit more light on the situation, particularly the identity of the mysterious Yetoman: a Lord Miro. Not long after that, they made for Yeto, crossing the mountains on foot. Upon arriving, they spoke to a nobleman, a friend of Raito's, hoping that he might be able to shed some light on things. What they learned was that during Raito's absence, which had only been about six months, one of the shoguns had staged a violent coup and was currently in the process tearing his way across the country, taking control of the provinces. On top of this, the Emperor was dead, his heir missing, the throne and the allegiance of the army in contention, and the rest of the country in a state bordering civil war. Basically, it was a mess. The shogun at the center of this was none other than, once again, Lord Miro. Finding it hard to believe this could possibly be coincidence, the group decided to confront Lord Miro's general, Lord Murakami, in the hopes that they could cripple his military control." He gave a slight chuckle, "It went rather poorly for them, but was one of the more humorous things I've read in the Archives; it straight up refers to the general as a 'barbaric fool', which is some damn strong language for them. Heh, but apparently Lord Murakami wanted to buy, hunt and eat the druid's mastodon companion, and so for some reason they thought it'd be smart to go take the critter into his house as part of a negotiation ploy? Which quickly went south of course, 'cause like, come on. Anyway. Although the meeting went poorly, they managed to steal the general's prized sword on their way out, and were later contacted with a request to negotiate for its return, to which they agreed. And this is where stuff starts to get interesting, at least where we're concerned. They were met by the lord himself, as well as his slighted general, and a woman; their first meeting with their 'adversaries', if you will. The archive describes Lord Miro as a tall, reserved young man, very pale with silly hair like you have right now, and, unusually, particularly for a Yetoman: flat, light grey eyes, a feature he shared with his companions. During the course of their negotiations, Raito attempted to extract as much information about the circles as possible. Lord Miro told him that they were parts of an enchantment intended to grant him the power necessary to unify the country and stop the incessant wars that plagued it. This revelation left them at an impasse; unsure of what to do with this information at the time being, they decided to deal with one of their teammate's personal issues while they thought about it. During this time, they were approached by another individual with an interest in the lord, and who demanded their assistance in meddling with his affairs. The person was very vague about what exactly they were aiming to do, but to make a long story short, the stranger intended, and successfully managed, to abduct a young girl of no small importance to Lord Miro, assisted by a distraction created by Raito and his companions. The kidnapping became clear in the midst of the lord interrogating them, after having caught them, and he immediately flipped out and took off leaving the group with Lord Murakami. ''He demanded they help him find the girl and in return he’d let them go, scot free. They agreed to this, and did manage to locate her in what sounded like relatively short order, although that bit of the account gets a little sketchy, as the druid apparently did not take part. The relevant bit here is, that Lord Miro arrived while they were trying to free the girl, who was being held in a trapped cell. In the process of dealing with those traps and her captor, whatever disguise magic he had been using must’ve been dispelled or interfered with in some way, because what was later to be confirmed as his actual appearance was revealed at that time, and it became abundantly clear that he was…not human. Rather, he was a devil, still looking to be the same man, but now with white hair and skin, and a set of curved horns, large wings, a long, spaded tail, and claws, all of them black. This was later seen and noted by Broken Tusk first-hand as well, and is obviously one of the points supporting my case." Here the druid stopped, falling silent for a few moments to rest his voice as he debated how best to continue his tale. Eventually he went on. “By this point, what was clearly a downright feud of sorts had developed between Raito and Lord Miro. Raito had interfered with the rescue of the girl, Lord Miro was fed up with his shit and demanded he show up at his castle and hand over his sword within the next week, Raito wasn’t about to comply that easily…he and his party ended up sneaking into the castle early with intents to meddle or something. At that time, they found two other circles there, deep in the bowels of the house. They collected the caster from one, a young child. When they discovered the second, in a well-hidden, well-protected room, it was different from the others: clearly the focus of the spell. The room also contained a wizard in deep concentration, tending to a table with a bunch of swords, two of them black. It was the same woman who had accompanied Lord Miro to the meeting I told you about earlier. She didn’t notice them come in, and taking advantage of this, Raito tried to kill her, but she teleported away. He then turned and killed the child; killing the casters who drew the circles was the way to activate them apparently. That triggered the spell at any rate, opening a portal in the room that Raito jumped through. A few seconds later, Lord Miro showed up, seemingly alerted by his wizard, and said that Raito had gone to Hell, and would be back shortly. Sure enough, a few minutes later he shows back up with red skin, horns and beetle wings, a devil himself now. They fight, he takes off. It's explained that the ritual opens a portal to Hell and allows the person that passes through it to get a wish from Yoru; Lord Miro had been intending to use it to get rid of these evil black swords, as they had been manipulating people and causing shit for centuries. Seeing as Raito had hijacked the ritual, though, he was kinda screwed, and would need to either set up another one, which would take time, or the elf boy they’d picked up before would have to finish his and die. The group ended up going with option one, and everything worked out in the end, I guess. There was another big fight, the swords got sent to Hell, and Raito got his ass kicked and was sent to hell as well, although not before killing both the cleric of Liartia and the Wall-guard that had been with him from the start. Everyone still standing dispersed after that, Lord Miro went on to become Emperor Miro and unite Yeto, Broken Tusk went back to his druid work and logged the entire ordeal, etcetera.” Finishing his tale, Lucca took a deep breath. “So. That’s that, the pared down version of the story in the archives.” He quirked a crooked smile and added, "Any questions, or shall I go on?" Victor sat quietly, processing this tale. He looked mildly thoughtful, perhaps confused, but eventually replied, "...While I have no idea what to make of any of that, I at least understand the words, if not the meaning. Sitting in confusion while people tell me unlikely stories about...myself, I suppose, seems to be a constant in my life though, so, carry on, if you have more to add." "I know, it's a kinda crazy story. Probably doesn't make a whole hell of a lot of sense, eh? I read the damn thing a couple times before I really made heads or tails of it, to be honest. Anyway, let's take the important points from it and look at them, shall we?" Lucca began ticking off numbers with his fingers as he continued, "One: This Lord Miro guy was a devil that once existed on Materia. This becomes relevant later, but it has to do with some weird memories you told me about when the spell that binds you was breaking down. Presumeably he had once been human, like his opponent Raito, but that's neither here nor there. The point is, he was a devil. Which brings us to two: there exists a pretty solid description of him as a devil, and damn if it doesnt align pretty friggen well with some things I've seen. A bunch of things, actually. At different times when you've channeled your ascendant power, you've gotten things like white skin or hair, black claws, that stupid hairstyle you're rockin right now, and Yeto features. The last two are really friggen random for a devil, don't you think? Then there's the fact that while your spell was breaking down you started to get more and more features like I just described in the story: the curved black horns, that big, long black tail you've got now, the claws, again, to name a few. And then lastly, the real clincher for this bit, is that when that little Whale Mage dude was beating the power back into you, each time he hit you you kinda...flickered. Your appearance changed, and when that happened you looked straight up like the story described: the weird hair, Yeto-looking, with all the devil-y features, even a bigass set of wings. I dunno what exactly was going on there, why you looked like that...but there it is: the more devilly you get, the more you look like the descriptions of that guy. Now, moving on to point three: we know you were a devil who was bound in your current form by another devil, one that you suspect has some sort of personal beef with you, right? We also know that that particular devil is the patron of the Kamun family of Yeto, some members of which are themselves half-devil, and that he is called Ratik'nun." He paused a beat before going on to say, "In the story, the guy harassing Lord Miro, meddling with his plans and messing up his spells, who went and became a devil too...was called Raito Kamun. Just listen to his name, and then add those things to it too? That...is too much to be coincidental, I think." The other man considered this, nodding slowly. "...Yes. This does seem...odd. There can't be many monochrome, Yeto-devils with stupid hair. I don't...recall much of what you're saying though, about the spell breaking. I...remember only the slightest bits of that period, at best. None of this seems familiar, but, all things considered, neither does it seem wrong. It makes logical sense." He made a face, "There's no real proof though, only circumstance, as convincing as it is. ...And I suppose...I wonder what I'm supposed to do with this information? Is it mere interest? Or should I do something with it? It's hard to know." "I'm not terribly suprised you don't remember that time super well. Things were pretty weird and generally kinda shitty. That, and you weren't actually in your body while the spell was breaking, I was; you were in Cress'...I dunno if that's clear from what you do recall, or maybe that's part of why it's vague?" "I...don't remember that at all, actually. I think I'd know if I did." Both men shrugged. Sitting back, Lucca thought for a few moments, then continued, "I dunno what you oughtta do with it. Nothing probably. I figure it really is just interest, more or less. It was something we used to wonder about on and off, and it bugged you quite a bit from time to time. So when everything sorta, lined up and clicked, I thought it was kinda cool." Cocking his head slightly, he asked "What even would you do with something like that anyway?" "I'm not sure...maybe...I had a reason for allowing myself to be bound? Maybe there was a reason I wanted to come to Materia? Or...maybe I bet Ratik'nun, or Raito, if that is his name, something?" He frowned slightly, "Or maybe I was in the middle of something important, and he's diverted me? It's hard to know." He looked at the table, then added, "Always just more questions." He sighed, continuing, "Don't let my complaints trouble you, I am glad for the insight. It is interesting, if nothing else. It seems far-fetched, certainly, but you're right about the parallels, they do seem to be numerous." "Well, I think this Raitik'nun guy is just a dickhead and did it 'cause he could or something, personally." Lucca declared. "There another thing that struck me as interesting, too, although it's a lot harder to back up, particularily now that your memories are muddled up. Back while the spell was breaking down, you started getting patchy fragments of memories coming through. You told me about some of them. You mentioned lots of Materians, humans and hobgoblins, but nothing about other devils. The only people you seemed to recall in any detail were a blonde, smiling, 'idiot' who you fought beside, and a little girl that needed protecting. All of this made exactly no sense to either of us at the time. But if you compare it to the story, with the 'barbaric fool' of a general that kept showing up with Lord Miro, and that little girl that needed rescuing, and that he got so upset over..." He shrugged, "It's kinda interesting how neatly it all slots in together, you know? All of it is pretty hardcore guesswork and a lot of conjecture, and any one thing probably wouldn't hold much weight, but when you start adding them all up...it starts to look pretty convincing, in my opinion." "It is an interesting story, no doubt," he agreed. "I don't recall any of the memories that I had apparently regained before, but if it is how you say, it is another curious coincidence at the very least." He thought for another moment, before asking, "What sort of person was he, the emperor? I can't really imagine myself as such, but, really, I can't imagine myself as much of anything, what with the shambles my memories are in. Am I like him in personality? It would be another curiousity, another addition to the list, between my appearance, my lost fragments of recollection, and the involvement of the Kamuns and Hell." "I don't know, dude...The archive focused more on what went down than what the dudes involved were like. I mean, I could make some guesses from what I read, but that's really all they'd be, guesses. I don't think that'd be helpful, really," he replied with a shrug. Victor considered for another moment before suggesting, "Ryuji seemed to recognize the figure, at the very least. Maybe he knows something else. At the very least, what is taught about the past emperors in school." Victor stood up and peered out of the room's door and windows. Spotting who he was looking for, he called out to Ryuji. The Yetoman came walking over into the room after a fashion, looking expectant. Victor sat back down and asked, "If it wouldn't be too much bother, you said that I looked like someone, an emperor: what do you know about him?" Ryuji looked confused, "Why?" "Just curiousity," he replied placidly. "I wonder if I share more than a hairstyle with him." "Hmm." Scrunching his face up, Ryuji thought. "...I don't remember a whole lot. I had some history lessons when I was little, but...can't say I remember much of them. Emperor Osamu Miro. He was the first emperor of the United Era, and technically the last of the Warring Era. All I really remember is that he's a divisive figure: some people think he did good, others will say he was the most brutal ruler the country ever had. He took the throne by force, conquered the whole country with war and coercion, and when he had no more opposition, he abolished the shogunate and established the current system. His victory is mostly attributed to his allegiance to the Hobgoblin Army. A large chunk of their southern territory used to be part of Ibaraki, apparently, but he gave it to them in exchange for their loyalty, and they gave him the force to take over the provinces that had rallied against him. Um...hmm...oh! And he only ruled for...something like 10 years? Then he formally abdicated to Emperor Okabe...the...I don't remember. One of them. Kichiro Okabe is the current emperor, and he's the...eleventh? You can count it back. Osamu was the last in the Miro line, I guess. The family isn't around anymore, or at least if they are, they don't have any money behind them." Lucca considered this information before asking, "He only reigned for 10 years? That seems kinda short. What'd he do after that?" Ryuji shrugged, "Died, I guess? Most emperors rule until they get too old, then they abdicate to their successor. I don't remember anything particularly special about his, other than it being so short, so, I guess he died?" Lucca frowned slightly, looking less than entirely satisfied with this answer. "I guess that'd make sense..." "Hm," Victor gave a noise of thoughtful appreciation. "Do you know anything about what he was like as a person? What sort of ruler he was?" He shrugged again, "No idea. History isn't really something I studied. Why?" "Again, just curious. I wondered if I was at all like him." Shrugging, Ryuji added, "I couldn't say at all. I'm no historian. He was the emperor who conquered everything, who abolished the shogunate, and who sold Yeto land to the Hobgoblin Army, the first land-loss we'd had to them in thousands of years. That's all I've got." He shrugged again, "I guess that's something, maybe. You've both got ties to the Hobgoblin Army." "The Hobgoblin Army? Since when?" Lucca asked, raising an eyebrow as he glanced to Victor, then back to Ryuji. Victor looked confused as well. Ryuji returned their confusion with his own. "...Your sword?" This explanation didn't seem to bring any clarity to the other two, so he continued, "Your sword, it's a hobgoblin blade. They have a few unique weapons and styles they pass down, usually to their higher ranked soldiers, that aren't used in Yeto; the curved sword and its spinning style, that's one of them. We learn about the hobgoblins' tricks in the army, when you're an officer. The ones with curved blades, they tend to be very fast, hard to hit, and the style makes it easy for them to disarm opponents, so you're best retaliating with pikemen, or other ranged combatants. You didn't know that? That it was a hobgoblin style, that is?" "No, I...I don't know where I learned it from," Victor replied, looking at the blade at his hip. "I don't have any recollection at all. I just...know how to wield a sword balanced like this one is." He looked very thoughtful, "I...I know a lot of other weapon styles as well...but I don't know where or how I learned any of it." Ryuji just shrugged back, with little else to add. "This style...is it like, secret? 'Cause the way you're talking, it sounds like a hobgoblin-only deal," Lucca asked. "Pretty much," Ryuji offered. "They keep the specifics, both for crafting the weapons and fighting with them, to themselves, particularly from the Yeto army. It's not a huge secret, we could probably replicate it if we felt like it, but it's more or less a hobgoblin-only art." With a shrug, Lucca declared, "Weird." Ryuji rubbed his arm awkwardly as he added, "I wondered why you knew it myself when I first saw you fight, but I didn't ask. First there were so many other things happening, then it seemed rude, and eventually...well, I didn't really think you'd know the answer anyways." Victor made a conceding expression at this. "Anyways, that's really all I know. Sorry it wasn't much, I just recognized the hairstyle. I've seen portraits of him before, and it's not exactly common." "It is odd, isn't it?" Victor said, flipping the bangs back once more. "It's a nuisance as well, particularly while fighting. I suppose it's no matter to someone who's leading others, but for someone with a sword in hand, it's a hindrance." "Oh, he probably fought with it too," Ryuji said, causing both of the others to look at him questioningly. He glanced between them, once more baffled by their looks. "...What? He was a shogun. They had to be combat-trained, it was very important. There's no way that he became emperor by force without participating: he'd have no respect. Combat was how titles and property was transferred between families, until he changed the system; he would have had to at least duel other lords, but if he was a real warlord, he definitely fought in battles too. And that's nothing: if he was taken seriously by the hobgoblins, then he must've been good. Everything is about fighting with them, so he must've proven himself some way or another." "...Huh." Victor said. "Then why have hair in your face...?" Ryuji shrugged once more, "Who knows? Maybe he was blind in one eye or something? I've seen a handful of portraits, and they always tilt the right side of his face away. Maybe his eye was messed up or something? I'd never thought about it before." He turned to leave, "Sorry I don't know more. Maybe once we're back, I can get some books or records for you, if you're still interested?" "Thank you very much," Victor said, inclining his head. With a nod to both of them, Ryuji left once more, leaving Lucca and Victor alone once more. After a moment, Lucca spoke up plainly. "You had a mark across your face here," he reached over and traced a line lightly along Victor's cheek as he went spoke, "that showed up when the spell broke down. I remember talking to Virgil, trying to guess what it was. A mark? A tattoo? A scar? Whatever it was, that stupid hair woulda pretty much covered it up." He finished with a shrug. Bringing his fingers to his cheekbone, Victor thought about that for a minute. Eventually, he said quietly, "I have been known to be vain." "You have, yes, from time to time," Lucca agreed, with a lopsided smile. He looked over to Lucca, and after a beat, returned his grin. He pushed his bangs back once more, said, "Well, that was interesting conjecture, if nothing else. Perhaps I will look more into who he was when we are home, and I have a lazy afternoon," and took another sip of his tea. "Mhmm," Lucca nodded as he stretched and settled back in his chair, adding after a moment, "Man, I miss days like that..." "Soon enough," Victor said. "We are earning them now, but, soon enough." They sat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, before Victor grinned, "...I think I still prefer to be called 'lord' over 'emperor'." "Oh, you shut up." Lucca snorted. He flashed a crooked grin in return, adding teasingly, "Lord, emperor...don't matter. Either way, you're still a crazy old man." "Well, the best rulers are always considered crazy," he said smugly. "And it's not the place of subjects to question their lord or his sanity." "Oh really now?" The druid quirked an eyebrow, "And what's gonna happen if they do, hmm?" "Oh, there are consequences. Insubordination can't be tolerated, lest the subjects...have ideas about their place." "Well now, we certainly wouldn't want that, now would we? Subjects questioning their place? Tsk tsk. That'd be a right shame." Lucca flashed an impish grin. Victor finished his tea and stood up. "Hardly. Nothing good comes from that." He placed his tea things away before returning to stand over Lucca. He leaned over and added, "It's a good thing that's not a problem, isn't it? It would be a shame if I'd have to...enforce my will." "A terrible shame." The younger man agreed, looking up at him almost coyly as he added, "Perhaps it'd be prudent to...issue a reminder of why your subject ought not to question his place, hmm? Keep him from gettin' ideas and all." Victor smiled. He drew his hand around Lucca's cheek as he added, "Well, I suppose it is good practice to take preventative measures..." He pulled Lucca up, and the two left to one of the numerous empty rooms. Category:Advent of the All